Wilson and Lipsey Ready To Roll Against The Big Three In Worlds 800 Final

Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today

Wilson and Lipsey Ready To Roll Against The Big Three In Worlds 800 Final

Aug 11, 2017

Harry Prevor

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Two of the three Americans -- training partners Ajee Wilson and Charlene Lipsey -- qualified through the difficult 800m semifinals at the IAAF World Championships, paving the way for an exciting and competitive final this Sunday in London.

Medal hopeful Wilson, who is also now the American record holder after her 1:55 run in Monaco, took no chances with her run in heat one, coming through in a powerful 57.83 seconds and winning in 1:59.21.

Her training partner Charlene Lipsey tried to duplicate that effort in heat two, splitting 400m in 58.98, but it proved to be fruitless against Rio gold medalist Caster Semenya who sprinted away for the top spot. Angelika Cichocka of Poland edged her out for the second and final auto-qualifier. Lipsey led the time qualifiers with her 1:59.35, but she would have to wait and see if the heat three runners would knock her out.

Lipsey was rewarded for her pace-pushing efforts as heat three, despite containing the Olympic silver and bronze medalists in Francine Niyonsaba and Margaret Wambui, was not fast through 400m in 1:00.89 and did not yield any time qualifiers. Unfortunately that meant that Brenda Martinez, who ran a brave race passing Wambui in the last 100m, would ultimately not make the final as Wambui passed her again to finish second.

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